Muggle-Born Resistance
by kadyday
Summary: Lily Evans is forced to attend Hogwarts under a fake name to hide her non-magical heritage. Thankfully, her childhood friend, Severus Snape has been helping her avoid being discovered. He has been becoming more involved in the Dark Arts, however, and Lily is not sure how much longer she will have his help. James Potter, meanwhile, is doing what he can to aid the Muggle-borns.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everybody! This is actually my first story that I have attempted so go easy on me. I got this idea as I was re-reading the 7th book. It's my take on what Hogwarts would have been like for Lily and James had Voldemort been in control of the Ministry as he was in the Deathly Hallows. Constructive Criticism is more than welcome. I own none of the characters in this story or they world they interact in. That all belongs to the lovely J. K. Rowling. I hope y'all enjoy! :)

Muggle-Born Legislation

"I need Gretchen Jones to come with me." McGonagall was standing at the door to the History of Magic classroom, putting a halt to the boring, early spring lesson that had begun not even fifteen minutes beforehand. She was wearing long emerald green robes, her witch's hat drooping to the side as usual. Her lips were pursed tightly together and her face, which so often wore a mask of severity to match the bun of hair she kept hidden under her hat, was void of expression. Lily glanced at the blonde and somewhat plump Hufflepuff, Gretchen, whose face had gone stark white, fear evident in her light colored brown eyes. There was only one reason the deputy headmistress would interrupt a class to pull a student out… and that reason was not a pleasant one.

Lily felt sick to her stomach as she watched Gretchen shakily gather her belongings and slowly rise to go with Professor McGonagall. She was handling it more calmly than the last student who was taken. Dirk Creswell had attempted to duel McGonagall. The fight was over before it had even begun and resulted in Dirk being knocked out cold, placed on a magical, invisible stretcher and taken from the room floating behind McGonagall. Lily wondered how she would handle it should she ever be found out. She knew fighting would do no good, though she couldn't imagine going down without attempting to save herself.

Usually, when a Muggle-born was discovered and taken to Azkaban, Lily would ignore the looks of the classmates around her. She hated seeing how much they seemed to not care, how much they were not bothered by the injustice that was happening to their peers for reasons that were out of their control. Even worse, she hated seeing the smug looks of the Slytherin's and other supporters of the anti-Muggle-born legislation as another innocent victim was taken to a lifetime of misery due to the unjust laws of the magical world.

This time, however, Lily found her eyes wondering around the classroom to gauge the reactions of her fellow students. Perhaps it was because there was no danger of looking upon Slytherin's delighted faces, as Gryffindor's shared their History of Magic class with the Hufflepuff's. Perhaps it was simply because after five years Lily's curiosity got the better of her as it had in her first year at Hogwarts. Whatever the reason Lily found that she could not help herself from glancing around. Most of the students remained staring straight ahead, ignoring what they were witnessing. Anger welled up inside of her at this.

 _How can you not care?_ She thought to herself. _How can you not stop this_? She quickly caught herself, however, remembering that she too was sitting down doing nothing. _But what can you do?_ Thoughts crept back into her head. _If you speak you will be discovered. You will be no use to anyone sent to hell they would send you to should they find you out_.

Her eyes continued to roam the classroom, almost against her will at this point. She was shocked when she saw a group of boys in the back examining the situation without indifference. In fact, two of the boys, one with messy dark brown hair and hazel eyes hiding behind round, wire-rimmed glasses, the other with long shaggy black hair and cool, gray eyes, were glaring at McGonagall in outward defiance. The other young man, a sickly looking boy with honey colored eyes and light brown hair was watching Gretchen sympathetically. The last boy, with straw colored, and watery blue eyes was watching the other three nervously, almost as though he was wishing they would stop there outward show of emotions. _Interesting_ Lily thought to herself. For as much as Lily despised this particular group of boys for the way they treated her best friend and "cousin", she could not help but feel a surge of hope as she watched their reactions. At least they seemed to care.

You see Lily Evans, or as she was known at school, Lily Prince, was a Muggle-born witch. A dangerous thing to be in these times. According to the ministry of magic, Muggle-borns, or Mudbloods as they were more commonly referred, only obtained their magic through theft. The ministry maintained that it is impossible for someone with no magical heritage to possess magical abilities. Therefore, every Muggle-born must be rounded up, given a "trial", and imprisoned until they give back the magic to whomever it was they stole it from. A ludicrous idea, as magic cannot be transferred between witches and wizards. Muggle-borns who are caught spend the rest of their days rotting away in an Azkaban cell for a crime they did not commit.

Most Muggle-borns are taken before they even ever set foot into Hogwarts. Eager eleven year olds who believe they are heading towards a brand new world are easy to spot in a crowd of magical folk due to the wonder on their face and their ignorance to provide a fake name. A few, however, are clever enough to discover what is happening in the magical world they are about to enter and take precautions. A few begin their research months before running through the wall at Platform 9 and 3/4. It's true that most of these individuals choose to remain in the Muggle world instead of taking the risk of being discovered in a world that does not want them. After all, who would be crazy enough to risk imprisonment for a world they hardly knew anything about? Well, Lily Evans, who, after finding out she was a witch, decided it was best to risk a lifetime in a cell than face the horrific alternative, was one such person. Of course, she was lucky enough to have help outside of Hogwarts. Who could say where she would be if she hadn't.

 _Lily Evans and her older sister, Petunia were playing on the swing set of a nearly deserted playground. A single huge chimney dominated the distant skyline._

" _Lily, don't do it!" shrieked the elder of the two._

 _But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself skyward with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly._

" _Mommy told you not to!"_

 _Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching, grinding sound, the leapt up, hands on hips._

" _Mommy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"_

" _But I'm fine," said Lily, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."_

 _Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves, and, though the girls did not know it, a skinny boy who was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. His black hair was overlong and his clothes were so mismatched that it looked deliberate: too short jeans, a shabby, overlarge coat that might have belonged to a grown man, an odd smocklike shirt. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which the young boy lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, like some bizarre, many-lipped oyster._

" _Stop it!" shrieked Petunia._

" _It's not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground._

" _It's not right," said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it. "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice._

" _It's obvious isn't it?" The boy could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. The boy seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily._

" _What's obvious?" asked Lily._

 _The boy had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said, "I know what you are."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _You're… you're a witch," whispered the boy._

 _She looked affronted._

" _That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

 _She turned, nose in the air, and marched toward her sister._

" _No!" the boy said. He was highly colored now. He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously batlike._

 _The sister considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles as though it was the safe place in tag._

" _You are," said the boy to Lily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."_

 _Petunia's laugh was like cold water._

" _Wizard!" she shrieked, her courage returned now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's End by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation. "Why have you been spying on us?"_

" _Haven't been spying," said Snape, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he added spitefully, "you're a Muggle."_

 _Though Petunia did not understand the word, she could hardly mistake the tone._

" _Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left._

Although Lily did not believe him at the time, Severus Snape had been the first person to tell Lily that she was a witch. And he did so much more than that for her.

 _Lily and Snape were sitting together in a small thicket of trees. A sunlit river could be seen glittering through their trunks. The shadows cast by the trees made a basin of cool green shade. They sat facing each other, cross-legged on the ground. Snape had removed his coat now; his odd smock looked less peculiar in the half light._

"… _and the Mistry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."_

" _But I have done magic outside school!"_

" _We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then, you've got to be careful."_

 _There was a little silence. Lily had picked up a fallen twig and twirled it in the air, imagining sparks trailing from it. Then she dropped the twig, leaned in toward the boy, and said, "It is real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"_

" _It's real for us," said Snape. "Not for her. But we'll get the letter, you and me."_

" _Really?" whispered Lily._

" _Definitely," said Snape, and even with his poorly cut hair and his odd clothes, he struck an oddly impressive figure sprawled in front of her, brimful of confidence in his destiny._

" _And will it really come by owl?" Lily whispered._

" _It will," said Snape. "I know it is a lot to take in but that is only because you're Muggle-born."_

" _Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"_

 _Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair that was Lily._

" _I… I haven't wanted to tell you this… but you need to know…" and then Snape told Lily of all the laws the Ministry had in place for Muggle-borns. What going to Hogwarts truly meant for Lily. Of the secret she would have to keep in order to remain safe._

" _But you've got loads of magic," said Snape. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you… "_

" _But I could end up in jail Sev! I would never see my family again!"_

" _It will be okay Lily. You have me to teach you everything you need to know. You can use my mother's maiden name, Prince. We will say you are my cousin. That will give you a magical heritage. They won't look into it that hard. They won't expect you to know as much as you do. When you do, they won't question it."_

" _I don't know, Sev…" Lily's emerald green eyes were boring into Snape's dark ones, uncertain and fearful. Severus clinched her hands in his._

" _You have to go to Hogwarts, Lily! People who don't learn how to control their magic will be consumed by it. They can go mad!"_

" _Severus?"_

 _A little smile twisted Snape's mouth when she said his name._

" _Yeah?"_

" _Tell me about the dementors again."_

" _What d'you want to know about them for?"_

" _If they found me out… "_

" _That isn't going to happen! You are not going to Azkaban, Lily, you're too…"_

 _He turned red and shredded more leaves. "Lily… You have to go to Hogwarts. I'll keep you safe. I won't let anyone find out about you. You belong in the magical world… our world. I'll keep you safe. I promise." And Lily believed him._

Yes it was Severus Snape who had not only told Lily what she was, but also taught her everything she needed to know in order to convince those around her she was not a Muggle-born. He was her best friend and her alibi. And with him, she had made it to almost the end of her fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she excelled out of spite, wanting more than anything to prove everyone who thought otherwise that Muggle-borns were just as capable as anyone else at performing magic. And when she graduated, Lily Evans had every intention of taking down those in power who thought otherwise.

* * *

"It's sick!" James Potter stated as he walked out of the History of Magic classroom with his three best friends, his hand automatically jumping to his head where he ran his fingers through a mass of already unruly, dark hair. "And nobody seems to care!"

"I know mate," his best friend Sirius Black, responded, his gray eyes not holding their usual hint of laughter. "But what are we supposed to do? It isn't like we can single handedly take on the Ministry." The slightly over-weight, blonde Peter Pettigrew let out a nervous chuckle at Sirius's words, looking around anxiously as if he expected the Minister of Magic himself to appear and arrest them.

"I don't know! But I am tired of sitting down as this happens… we can't be the only ones who think this is wrong… we just can't be!"

"Padfoot is right," Remus Lupin interjected, a sadness present in his honey colored eyes. "There isn't much that we can do," he ignored James's snort of frustration at his words, "and we have to remember that most of them don't know why these people are being taken. Not everyone is privy to the information you were able to get from your parents over the summer. The ones who do know are usually Slytherins and we all know they fully support what is happening. What I don't quite understand is why Dumbledore hasn't done anything about it. After his defeat of Grindelwald, it's surprising that he would sit idly by. And this has been happening for years."

"My parents reckon there isn't much he can do," James sighed, "he is just trying to stay in control of Hogwarts. He doesn't want someone from the Ministry to have the power here too. The only thing they are allowed to do is pick up the Muggle-borns from Hogsmeade after they are caught." James thought back to the late night talks he had with his parents the previous summer. When James was a first year he did not really understand what was happening to his classmates that were being taken away by McGonagall, and it happened so rarely that he did not blink an eye to it. As the years went by, however, and more and more of his classmates kept leaving and never returning, concern began to creep into his conscious. When he asked his Head of House where they were going in his third year, she looked at him with sad eyes and simply said that they had broken a law. He let it go for a while, until once again, in fourth year, his guilt returned. Knowing he would not get anything from the professors, he waited until summer break where he then confronted his parents about the situation.

" _But what law is it that they have broken? Why do so many kids keep breaking it if they know what is going to happen?" James demanded, staring at his parents determinedly at the dinner table._

" _James…" His mother began warily, her hazel eyes the exact same color as his looking up from her plate of baked chicken to meet his own, "I'm not sure if you are quite old-"_

" _Dorea, no, it's okay" James's father interjected, "I think that it is time that he knew the truth." Charlus Potter, who looked so much like his son with the messy dark hair that never seemed to lie flat no matter how much effort was put into attempting to make it do so, and his round wire-rimmed glasses that framed his square face, was staring at his son with an intensity James had never seen before._

" _There are wizards and witches out there James," Charlus began, "that believe they are better than others because of their blood."_

" _Yeah, Sirius's family is always going on about some 'pureblood supremecy' bullshit."_

" _James! Language!" Dorea Potter cut in._

 _James ignored his mother's exclamation and continued staring intently at his father. "But what does that have to do with whatever it is that is happening at Hogwarts?"_

" _The Blacks are one family who buy into the pureblood hype, that is true," Charlus continued,"but there are others. Powerful families that believe Pureblood wizards should be in control of the world. That muggles should bow down to us because of our magic. One such wizard is known as Voldemort."_

" _Voldemort? What kind of stupid name is that?"_

 _Charlus could not help but laugh at his son's response. "As stupid as you may find the name, son, he is a terrifying individual. Even worse, he is extremely powerful. Some say he is more snake than man. And he is in control of the Ministry right now."_

" _But Harold Minchum is the Mister of Magic."_

" _On paper, yes he is. But we have reason to believe that he has been placed under the Imperius curse. Voldemort is controlling things behind the scenes. It is easier for him to insight terror there, and much, much harder for people to oppose him."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Think about it James, I have already said that this wizard appears more animal than man. No one with half a brain would want to follow him if they knew exactly who they were following. It is much easier for him to remain hidden from public eye and he meets much less resistance this way. All's he has to do is control the propaganda he is spreading through Minchum and the Ministry… get people to truly believe it. We think eventually he will make himself known… but for now he is getting exactly what he wants without anyone really standing in his way."_

" _And what is it that he wants from those children he takes from Hogwarts? Is he afraid they will oppose him or something… is he just trying to get them out of the way? Is he AFRAID of them?"_

" _In a sense, yes, though he would never admit that," Charlus gazed at his son over his round spectacles, "James, there is something that every witch and wizard that gets taken at Hogwarts has in common."_

" _And what is that?"_

" _There blood James," Charlus continued staring intently at his son, "every person that has been pulled from Hogwarts was birthed by non-magical parents."_

" _Muggle-borns? No they aren't… Patricia Weasley got taken last year and the Weasley's are one of the oldest Pureblood families there is!"_

" _One of three things happens to a muggle-born when they discover their magical abilities, James. Most attempt to go to Hogwarts in blissful ignorance of the world they are entering. They are discovered and taken by the Ministry before they ever even reach Hogwarts. A smaller group, who does their research beforehand, finds out about the anti-muggle-born legislation and make the choice to not even attempt fitting into our world. They already feel comfortable and welcomed in the muggle world and see no reason to leave it. An even smaller group than them, however, become aware of the laws preventing their entrance into the magical world and attempt to enter anyway. They create back stories for themselves… change their surnames to reflect magical heritage."_

" _But why would they do that!" James exclaimed, "not that I think they shouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts or anything," he added, "but why attempt that knowing the risks?"_

" _Could you imagine turning your back on your magic, James" Dorea Potter finally spoke, interjecting quietly. James thought about her words. Could he give up his magic? Could he handle not fostering his gift? James knew the answer to that question instantly. There would be no way. He would go mad._

" _No. I couldn't do it."_

" _And that's why they make the choice they do, James," Dorea spoke gently "And that is why Voldemort is afraid of them. They are the ones with the biggest reason to fight. Not one Muggle-born who attempts to go to Hogwarts plans on staying in hiding forever. But they know they have to learn magic before they can fight against it. They oppose Voldemort by choosing to live the life they deserve. And as your father has said, though he would never admit it, he is afraid of them. He is afraid of their dedication and their heart. He is afraid that eventually, they will outnumber him and his followers and take him down. That is why he has laws in place to hunt them down. He is afraid they will prove him wrong. They threaten everything he stands for."_

Yes, James Potter had discovered something that most students at Hogwarts didn't know or chose to ignore. He knew that Muggle-borns were hiding in the castle… in classrooms with himself, pretending to be something they weren't because some mad-man had made it impossible for them to be themselves. And he hated it. The very thought of it made him so angry he could scarcely think. He was determined to help them in any way he possible could. And he had a plan to do so. But first, he had to discover who they were.


	2. Chapter 2

Muggle-Born Patronus

"Peter, how is the map coming?" It was the day after Gretchen Jones had been escorted out of the History of Magic classroom. James had not slept at all the previous night, tossing and turning, thinking of ways to begin an in-school resistance against Voldemort and the Ministry. He knew the map was his best bet and was now looking over his breakfast plate at Peter expectantly.

"It's about done," Peter responded, pausing for a moment from scarfing down a plate of pancakes that were in front of him. "I just need to add the secret passages and then I think it will be ready for the charm. Should only take about a week."

The Marauders, as James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew secretly liked to refer to themselves, were both rebellious and capable of advanced magic. This combination often resulted in creative projects and brilliant ideas that helped contribute to their success as the most notorious pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen. Their latest endeavor had been an idea of Sirius's after getting caught by the caretaker, Filch, in a particularly elaborate prank.

" _Wait… You plan on doing WHAT?" Remus asked, looking at Sirius as though he had grown three heads, "have you lost your mind?"_

" _You have to have something before you can lose it," James interjected, chuckling, but staring at his best mate with a sense of pride._

" _Okay… Filling the Slytherin common room with fake gold should be easy enough with James's cloak. But how, pray tell, do you plan on getting a whole family of nifflers there?" Remus asked. He knew it was a lost cause at this point. If James approved, as he obviously did by the look on his face, there would be no stopping Sirius. It would have been hard enough to do without James's blessing. And Remus had to admit, having the nifflers destroy the Slytherin's living quarters by such creative means was funny._

" _Well they obviously won't fit under the cloak. I'm just going to have to be extremely careful is all." Sirius, said waving his hand as if it were no big deal, confident in his abilities to avoid detection._

But it had been a big deal. Sirius had been caught by Argus Filch attempting to smuggle a family of eight nifflers into the dungeons. He was given detention for a month. From that day forward he vowed to devise a way to know exactly where every person in the castle was at any given time. And thus, the idea for the Marauder's Map was born. Since Peter was the most artistic of the group, he had been given the task of drawing the castle onto parchment, a task he had taken most seriously. He refused to let any of the other Marauders see it until its completion. He had been working on it since the end of October, and seeing at is was now nearing the beginning of April, James was becoming impatient.

"A week?" James asked incredulously "Peter, it's been months!"

"I know…" Peter said meekly, "I just wanted it to be perfect…"

"James, lighten up," Remus said staring at him with his eyebrows raised, wondering why his friend seemed so panicked, "we have gotten along fine without it for the most part. One more week won't kill us."

"Kill us no," James muttered, "but it could help save lives."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, looking over at his best friend curiously.

James sighed as he began explaining. "I'm sorry Wormtail, it's just… I did more research on the charm we are using to label all the people in Hogwarts, and it hit me… the map won't be able to lie."

"And…" Sirius prompted, still wearing a look of confusion.

"Well," James began "we all very much aware that there are students here who have been lying." Comprehension dawned on the faces of the other three Maruaders.

"This isn't just about pulling off pranks anymore is it?"

"No… no it isn't." The realization of what their creation would actually mean seemed to hit all the Marauders as they sat somberly. James's voice dropped even lower as he continued speaking. "I think if we can track the muggle-borns down, we can actually start something. We can actually help rebel."

"I'll get it done as quickly as I can, Prongs." Peter said nodding and looking more determined than ever.

* * *

Lily Evans was running extremely late. Defense against the Dark Arts has started five minutes ago and she was just now pulling on her second shoe hurriedly. As soon as she had struggled to get it on her foot, she quickly grabbed her wand, placing it in the waist band of her plaid skirt, grabbed her side bag, throwing it over her shoulder and darted out the door of the Gryffindor girl's dormitory.

"Shit!" Lily said as she rushed out of the portrait hole of the Gryffindor common room, "would it have been too much trouble for someone to wake me up?" But she knew the answer to that question. After being told by Severus the importance of maintaining a low profile, she had not done much to make any other friends. Although the girls in her dormitory tried in the beginning, they quickly gave up realizing that Lily was not interested in any semblance of a relationship with them and so they left her alone.

Lily raced down the corridors, which were mostly empty, except for a few ghostly apparitions floating around, due to most students already being in class. She finally came to the third door corridor after taking the moving staircase that had mercifully moved in a manner that worked in her favor. She skidded to a halt in front of the door to a classroom, attempting to catch her breath before she made her entrance.

After finally slowing her heart rate, she placed her hand on the large wooden door and attempted to open it as quietly as possible. Naturally, the fates decided to intervene cruelly and the door made a large 'creak' as she pushed it open. All eyes, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw alike, turned at the sound and thus Lily found herself being stared at from all directions. Hating being the center of attention, Lily felt her face burn in embarrassment.

"Miss Prince," Professor Day, a curvy witch with long dark brown hair that was currently pulled into a high pony-tail and hazel eyes, said as she turned and faced her student. "How kind of you to join us. As this is your first time being late, I will let you off with a warning. Please take a seat." Lily nodded at the Professor. She had always liked Professor Day, who was able to teach the subject of Defense with an unbiased opinion on blood, unlike many of the other Professors for the subject Lily had in the years prior. It was rumored that this particular teaching position was cursed, as no professor had even held the job for longer than a year.

Lily scanned the room and inwardly groaned as she located the only available seat left in the classroom. It was in the very back row next to one Sirius Black, who was looking at her mischievously. Of course, where Sirius was, his friends were not far behind. Lily was forced to begin making her way to the open seat, bracing herself for an hour long class near the Marauders, a group she intentionally tried to avoid at all costs.

"Fancy seeing you here, Prince." Sirius stated as Lily slid into the vacant seat. "Running a bit late this morning? You look like you just crawled out of bed." Lily chose to ignore him.

"Now, as I was saying." Professor Day began at the front of the classroom. "Today we will be practicing the patronus charm, a useful spell that can be used to fend off Dementors and, with advanced use, can also deliver messages to other wizards and witches. Please take out your books and turn to page 476." Lily felt a sense of determination fill her at the mention of Dementors. She knew that if she was ever caught by the Ministry, she would be spending much time with them in Azkaban. They terrified her, and any spell that could be used against them was worth learning in Lily's book.

As she reached into her bag, however, that sense of determination was quickly replaced with that of dread. In her rush, she had accidentally left her Defense book in her dormitory, instead grabbing a _Standard Book of Charms: Grade 5_.

"Um, Black," Lily began, looking over at the boy next to her hesitantly. He stopped muttering to James who was sitting on his other side and looked at her, eyebrows raised. "I seem to have, um, accidentally grabbed the wrong book this morning. Would you mind, possibly, letting me look at yours as well?" Emerald green eyes met stormy grey ones. "Please?" Lily added as an afterthought.

Sirius regarded her closely for a few minutes until, miraculously, he pushed the already open book towards the middle of the table so Lily could look at is as well.

"Thank-you," Lily said, breathing a sigh of relief. Sirius nodded at her once, maintaining the same stoic expression on his face, before turning back to his best friend.

"Now, the patronus" Professor Day continued, "at its weakest will be a cloud of silver mist. Although this is somewhat effective, you really want this mist to take the shape of an animal of sorts. This is called a corporeal patronus and is in essence, a piece of your soul. Therefor patronuses will take different shapes, depending on the castor. For example," Professor Day pulled her wand out of the sleeve of her robe, " _Expecto Patronum!"_ A medium-sized creature burst from the end of the wand and glided around the classroom until it landed on the desk beside Professor Day. Lily squinted to make out the shape and realized it was a peacock.

"Only corporeal patronuses can be used to deliver messages and you can learn much about the soul of the person based on the shape it takes. Soul-mates, for instance, often have complimenting patronus shapes." Many of the girls giggled at this, eyeing the boys around the classroom. "This is very rare, however," Professor Day cut in, ignoring the giggling girls.

"Now I want you all to practice this spell. Again the words are _Expecto Patronum_ and in order for the spell to work, you must channel your happiest memory into your wand. After all, Dementors are dark, dark creatures. The best way to battle darkness is through love. Take out your wand and begin. Refer back to your book if you are having any trouble."

The students obediently pulled out there wands, thankful that they would be practicing magic. Lessons were much more interesting when application of the lecture was allowed. Lily grabbed her wand from her waistband, where she had stored it earlier and began concentrating.

 _A happy memory_ , Lily thought, _a happy memory._ She settled on one of her and Petunia playing together as children, before magic had entered their lives and destroyed their relationship.

" _Expecto Patronum_ " Lily said with as much conviction as she could muster. She was disappointed when her wand sat idle in her hand. _"Expecto Patronum_ ," she tried again. Nothing happened. For the next fifteen minutes, Lily sat concentrating, attempting to produce anything, even the smallest amount of mist from her wand, but becoming frustrated as nothing occurred.

Groaning, Lily sat back into her chair feeling defeated. She took this time to look around the classroom to see how her classmates were doing. She was frustrated and surprised to see that the boys next to her were enthusiastically emitting mist from their wands. James and Sirius's clouds were already beginning to take on somewhat of a shape, though it was not clear what animal they were becoming. Even Peter, who usually required as much assistance as possible in lessons, had a small cloud of mist coming from his wand.

"How are you guys doing that?" Lily asked, looking over at the boys and grabbing the book Sirius had leant her, pulling it over to herself, frantically flipping through pages. Four pairs of eyes looked up at her as she again grabbed her wand and attempted the spell, only to fail miserably again.

"You're memory must not be strong enough, Lily." Remus said, the only Gryffindor boy comfortable enough to call her by her first name as they were co-prefects together. "Why don't you try something a little more powerful?"

James chucked, "even though it must be difficult to have any happy memories, being related to Snape and all." Lily met James's eyes with a glare. Snape… That did give her an idea though.

Changing her memory, Lily concentrated again and picked up her wand. " _Expecto Patronum!"_ This time, much to Lily's delight, a large, silver cloud burst from the tip of her wand. "I did it!" Lily exclaimed, looking over at the four boys who were smiling.

"Good job, Prince," Sirius said as he waved his wand, loudly enunciating the words required to perform the spell and a large dog burst from it, running around the classroom, through student's legs, up to Professor Day, before returning to the wizard who had conjured it, sitting by his legs panting.

"Very good, Mr. Black!" Professor Day exclaimed, clapping and looking impressed, "20 points to Gryffindor!" Sirius smiled, and reach down to pet the ghostly looking dog sitting next to him. The patronus then began fading away, almost as if it had sensed its job had been completed.

"Hey!" Lily heard James say to his friend, "how did you do that? What were you thinking of?" James demanded.

"Well, funny thing is, mate," Sirius began, furrowing his brow, "it wasn't really a memory… more of an idea…"

"Explain." Lily also demanded of Sirius, looking at him fiercely. Again, she found four sets of eyes looking at her, this time surprised that she was again paying attention.

"I think this is the most I have ever heard Prince speak to us willingly," she heard Peter mutter to Remus. She ignored him and continued staring down Sirius.

"Well…" Sirius began again, "It wasn't something that has actually happened. But it is something that I would love to see happen. I was imagining myself away from my horrid family. Finally free of them. How I would feel it that were to actually happen." James, Remus, and Peter all nodded in understanding but Lily just felt confused. _Horrid Family?_ She thought. _Sirius is a Black… He comes from one of the noblest pureblood families there is. And he wants away from them? Interesting._ Lily decided to not press the issue, however, deciding it was his business. Instead she turned back to her own work, determined to produce a corporeal patronus before the end of the lesson. _After all_ she thought _if Black can do it, so can I._

After Sirius's advice it did not take long to think of something she wanted to happen. Imagining a world free of prejudice towards muggle-borns, a world where she did not have to hide her true family away and take on a new name Lily lifted her wand.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ Lily shouted and a large creature burst from her wand, taking on a shape. But hers was not the only one, at the exact same time she said the spell, James had attempted it again as well, there voices speaking in unison.

Two animals began to circle around the room, Lily's on the left side of the classroom and James's on the right, heading towards one another. It was eerie how similar the two silver creatures looked, both with four legs and hooves and both with broad chests. Though Lily's appeared more feminine looking and James's had antlers, there was no denying what the two animals were: a stag and doe.

The class watched in silence as the two patronuses met at the front of the classroom and stopped in front of one another. Then the stag stepped forward and wrapped its neck around that of the doe's, making it look as though the two were hugging. Lily's jaw dropped as she watched. _Soul-mates, for instance, often have complimenting patronus shapes_ Professor Day's words echoed loudly in her head as she began shaking. At this point, everyone in the class had turned around in their seats and were staring, wide-eyed at James and Lily, both of whom were wearing horrified expressions, unable to look away from the scene at the front of the class.

It was not until she heard Sirius's loud laughter beside her that Lily ripped her gaze away and dropped her wand to the table in a loud clang, the doe quickly disappearing in front of her. Standing up as quickly as possible, Lily tore herself away from the table and began sprinting towards the door, not bothering to pick up the chair that had toppled behind her in her haste to get away or the wand she had dropped on the table. She left the classroom so quickly that she did not witness the stag looking around sadly, as his other half disappeared so suddenly, before hanging his head and disappearing himself.


End file.
